1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an optical element provided with a lens and an optical function element. Further, the present invention is related to an optical element wafer provided with a plurality of optical elements, such as a plurality of lenses and a plurality of optical function elements, in a wafer state. Further, the present invention is related to an optical element wafer module in which the plurality of optical element wafers are laminated. Further, the present invention is related to an optical element module, which is made by cutting the optical element wafer or the optical element wafer module, and a method for manufacturing the optical element module. Further, the present invention is related to an electronic element wafer module in which the optical element wafer or optical element wafer module is modularized with an electronic element wafer. Further, the present invention is related to a method for manufacturing an electronic element module, in which the electronic element wafer module is cut simultaneously into electronic element modules or in which the optical element or optical element module is modularized with an electronic element. Further, the present invention is related to an electronic element module manufactured by the method for manufacturing the electronic element module. Further, the present invention is related to an electronic information device, such as a digital camera (e.g., a digital video camera or a digital still camera), an image input camera, a scanner, a facsimile machine, a camera-equipped cell phone device and a television telephone device, including the electronic element module used therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Further downsizing and lowering the cost are requested for a camera-equipped cell phone device and a personal digital assistant (PDA) and so on as conventional optical devices that include an image capturing element and a light-focusing lens element thereabove.
In response to such a request, Reference 1 proposes a method for obtaining an image capturing element module, the method including the steps of: forming and connecting an image capturing element for performing a photoelectric conversion on and capturing an image of incident light and a lens element thereabove for focusing light at a wafer level; modularizing the image capturing element and the lens element as an image capturing element wafer module, which functions as an electronic element wafer module; and individualizing the modularized image capturing element wafer module by simultaneous cutting. According to the method, a transparent substrate is adhered above a semiconductor wafer having an image capturing element at the center portion, with a spacer interposed therebetween. A convex lens is formed as a light-focusing lens element on the transparent substrate in a closely-adhered manner.
Furthermore, Reference 1 discloses an example where a lens is formed in each of a plurality of through holes of a lens substrate. It is conceived that a plurality of such lens wafer modules are laminated on an image capturing element wafer to be modularized. FIG. 9 illustrates this module.
FIG. 9 illustrates a lens wafer disclosed in Reference 1, and is an essential part longitudinal cross sectional view illustrating an image capturing wafer module, in which a plurality of lens wafers are used with lenses provided in a plurality of through holes of a lens substrate and the lens wafers are modularized with an image capturing element wafer.
In FIG. 9, an image capturing element wafer module 250 includes: an image capturing element wafer 252, in which a plurality of image capturing elements 251 are arranged in a matrix, the image capturing elements 251 including a plurality of light receiving sections for performing a photoelectric conversion on and capturing an image of image light from a subject; and a transparent support substrate 254 with a resin adhesion layer 253 interposed therebetween, part of which is removed above the image capturing element 251. A lens wafer module 255 is provided being adhered on the transparent support substrate 254, the lens wafer module 255 being provided such that each lens position corresponds to each of the plurality of image capturing elements 251. The lens wafer module 255 is provided with a lens substrate 256 in such a manner to fill an outer circumference area of a lens, and a lens wafer 255a is configured to be adhered on a lens wafer 255b by an adhesive 257 herein. In addition, on a front surface side of the lens wafer 255a, a light shielding plate 258 with an opening (hole) on an optical surface A is provided being adhered by the adhesive 257. Further, the transparent support substrate 254 is adhered with the lens wafer 255b by the adhesive 257. The adhesive 257 is provided in an area having a predetermined width on an outer circumference side of the openings of the light shielding plate and the lens substrate 256 as well as along each side inside of square or rectangular dicing lines DL on the outer circumference side of the circular optical surface A, which is at the center, when viewing the image capturing element wafer module 250 of FIG. 10, as illustrated in FIG. 9.
The image capturing element wafer module 250 is illustrated in FIG. 9 with a unitary module cross-sectional structure; however, a large number of the unitary module cross-sectional structures are arranged in a matrix of row and column directions. The unitary module cross-sectional structure is an image capturing element module after the individualizing along the dicing lines DL.
Reference 1: Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-539276